Gun supporting sling



Match 25', 1958 L. G. ARPIN GUN SUPPORTING SLING Filed Aug. 21, 1956 INVENTOR.

United States Patent GUN SUPPORTING SLING Leon G. Arpin, North Caldwell, .l.

Application August 21, 1956, Serial No. 605,365

7 Claims. (Cl. 224-1) This invention relates to a sling for carrying a gun which, as well known, serves to cut down fatigue by supporting the gun on a shoulder of the user.

Prior slings have been objectionable for a variety of reasons. Forexample, some slings make it ditficult to bring the gun into firing position because they must be detached therefrom. Such slings are further of limited utility relative to the sling of this invention. For example, my sling is most easily applied to a gun since one end of the gun butt is arranged to rest in the sling in such a position that the gun is well balanced and can be withdrawn from the sling in an instant. Although the gun has only a portion of its butt resting in the sling, the gun will be supported adequately whether it is maintained in a vertical position as when the hunter is walking or when the gun is swung to a horizontal or even lower position as when the hunter may be crawling through the brush or the like. In either position, and even in rearward positions, the gun is securely held although it is nevertheless immediately available for shooting of game or the like. Accordingly,

the first shot of the hunter will generally be faster than if he were employing a prior type of sling as above set forth or indeed if he were employing no sling at all because he will avoid hunter fatigue by the use of the sling.

An important construction feature of the improved sling is that a lever arm is provided which is formed with a right angle pivoted axle which supports a noose for embracing the lower corner edge of the gun butt so that the axle is kept in place against the gun butt in the variety of positions above mentioned. The noose itself is formed with an additional abutment which establishes a firm hold on the gun butt without requiring a positive connection which might interfere with quick removal of the gun from the sling when required.

The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view illustrating the sling in a typical carrying position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view illustrating the grip of the noose on the inside edge of the gun butt; and

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view.

The sling comprises an adjustable strap which is suspended as usual, from the opposite shoulder of the user. Arm 11, which acts as a lever as will hereinafter be described, is supported by the strap 10, the arm being shown as having a coating or jacket of soft plastic or rubber material 12 so as to avoid marring the gun butt finish. Integral with arm 11 is shaft or axle 13. Shaft 13 is rotatably embedded in an enlargement 14 of the noose 15. Noose 15 is of soft material such as vinyl plastic. It is nevertheless of sufiicient rigidity to support the gun butt 16.

Transverse enlargement 14 provides a floor at the rear end of the noose. A second transverse enlargement 17 which is rearwardly spaced from and continuous with the enlargement 14 forms the remainder of the floor 18. When the noose 15 is substantially horizontal, the enlargement 17 is on a higher vertical level than enlargement 14.

Accordingly, the composite floor 18 is inclined upwardly relative to the noose, such inclination being in a rearward direction relative to the noose. Said floor is confined to the rear portion of noose 15 so as to leave the remainder of the noose open from top to bottom to receive the gun butt corner edge therethrough. The gun butt 16 rests against both enlargements so that both serve as abutments for the gun butt lower end. The bottom edge 19 of the noose extends upwardly from the enlargement 14 to form a nose 20 at the front end of the noose. The nose 20 of the noose l5 embraces the inside edge 21 of the gun butt 16.

As illustrated, the sling is used by slipping the inside corner edge of the gun butt into the noose and over the floor which is disposed below the open rear entrance 22 of the noose so that the gun butt lower end or base rests on the abutments 17 and 14 while the nose 20 embraces the inside edge 21 of the gun butt and clings thereto. When the gun is in a substantially horizontal position, it will befound that the nose 20 tends to swing down to the inside corner edge of the gun butt, the arm 11 rotating in abutment 14 to effect this result. This is a position where the hunter may be creeping through brush or bending over to conceal his presence. In such position it will be found that the nose 20 substantially takes over the supporting function as opposed to the floor of the noose.

In a relative standing position illustrated, when the gun is brought vertical, the arm 11 will swing so as to cause the nose 20 to rise up to its highest position and clamp against the inside edge 21. This action is improved by the pressure of the gun butt against the elevated abutment 17 which tends to rotate the noose on the shaft 13 and thereby raises the noose on the gun butt inside edge 21.

in any desired position of the gun it has been found that the noose adapts itself to such position and firmly supports the gun although the gun is immediately available for withdrawal and firing. It will be noted that the outer or back edge of the gun butt is completely free of the sling. This is most important since no obstruction toward quick withdrawal is thereby presented. It should be further understood that the sling may be employed by left handed shooters by pulling the noose off the shaft 13 and replacing it in reverse position.

It will be further observed that arm 11 acts as a lever or rocker arm which maintains the right angle pivoted axle 13 firmly against the gun butt lower end in any position of carrying. The rearward disposition of enlargement 17 forms an abutment which provides effective balance notwithstanding the fact that the noose is substantially confined to the front lower corner of the gun butt. The rear portion 22 of the noose is open so as to admit the gun butt until its inside edge 21 rests against the closed end or nose 19 of the noose.

While I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

v l. A gun sling comprising a strap and a gun holder connected thereto, said'gun holder comprising a noose and a floor for supporting the bottom end of a gun butt, said noose being formed with a rear entrance for admitting a corner edge portion of the gun butt therein and being closed at its front end to form a nose, said floor being confined to a position immediately below said noose rear entrance and said noose being open from its top to its bottom so as to admit said corner edge portion therethrough.

I! Q 7 2. Asling according to claim 1 and wherein said floor is integral with said noose and is fixed in an upward incli-,

nation, said inclination being in a rearward direction.

3. A gu n sling according to claim 1 and including a 'ing an open end and a closed end, a floor confined to said open end for supporting the outer end of the gun butt, said noose being otherwise open from top to bottomto admit a portion of the gun butt therethrough, said floor terminating before said otherwise open portion of said noose and an axle fixed to said arm and rotatably journalled in said floor so as to pivotally secure said noose to said arm.

5. A gun sling according to claim 4 and wherein said open portion of said noose is formed with a lower edge which extends upwardly from said floor relative to the upper edge of the noose to form a nose at the front end "of the noose. 6. A gun sling comprising a strap and a gun holder connected thereto, said gun holder comprising a noose, a floor for supporting the bottom end of a gun butt, said noose being formed with a rear entrance for admitting a portion of the gun butt therein and being closed at its front end to form a nose, said floor being disposed below said noose rear entrance, said noose being open from its top to its bottom so as to admit said gun butt portion spaced enlargements, one of said enlargements being on a lower level than the other and being more forward than the other when the noose is disposed horizontally, said axle being rotatably embedded in said one enlargement.

7. A gun sling comprising a shoulder strap, an arm suspended therefrom and a gun butt supporting sling carried by said arm, said sling comprising a noose having an open end and a closed end, a floor at said open end for supporting the outer end of the gun butt, said noose being otherwise open from top to bottom to admit a portionof the gunbutt therethrough, and an axle fixed to said arm'and'rotatably journalled in said floor so as to pivotally secure said noose to said arm, said open portion of said noosebeing'forrned with a lower edge which extends upwardly fromsaid floor to form a nose at the front end of the noose, said floor comprising two horizontally spaced enlargements extending across the lower rear portion of the noose, said axle being embedded in the further forward one of said two enlargements.

References Cited in the file of this patent V UNITED STATES PATENTS 

